Turning Trash Into Treasure: Helping Waste Haulers Win More Bids

When a waste hauler wanted to submit more competitive bids to haul debris from demolition sites, UPDS found an economical rail solution to help them win.

Released May 31, 2017 Case Study

When a building is torn down, have you ever paid attention to what they do with the rubble? Most people don’t. But there it sits: tons upon tons of crushed rock, cement and brick as well as dirt and other debris. Before the site can welcome its new purpose, it all must be removed.

What many people don’t know is there are companies dedicated to removing waste just like this. These companies bid against each other to win the business — with the most competitive price from the most qualified company emerging as the winner.

By finding a more economical transportation solution, UPDS helped a waste removal company win bids to haul debris from demolition sites.

Shipper Challenges

Our customer was one such waste disposal company. If they could find a more economical way to haul debris from demolition sites, they could submit more competitive bids and, in turn, win more business. They knew rail could offer a more economical way to move the waste, but most demolition sites aren’t rail served. So, they turned to UPDS for a solution.

The UPDS Solution

Because waste is loaded onto trucks at the work site, UPDS knew we could use these trucks to haul the debris to a nearby transloader, who could move it by overhead cranes or heavy duty forklifts on to flat cars or gondolas. From there, it would travel by rail for the long haul to the proper waste disposal site.

A truck can only haul one container at a time, but a rail car can haul six to eight containers, which meant using rail for the majority of the trip would yield a major cost benefit.

Our Results

Because UPDS has a pre-established, nationwide transloading network in place, our customer was able to rely on a turnkey transload solution without any capital investment in rail. By incorporating rail into their haul-away plan, they were also able to save on transportation costs and therefore submit more competitive bids.

Likewise, with a transload network already in place, they were able to provide bids quickly. Oftentimes companies are given only a week to submit a proposal, so having a quick turnaround on transportation costs also allowed the company to submit more bids for jobs with short deadlines.

With successes using rail to haul demolition waste in both Chicago and Minnesota, our customer is planning to replicate this transload solution in the Denver area and potentially in California and Wyoming as well — and we’re excited to help.